I’m not ashamed to admit that I suck at photoshop. But if gays can serve in the military, then I can post stupid photos like this.

Happy Friday.

-M

I had his tapes. Back in the day. We wore Z. Cavaricci puffy pants and Air jordans. Or at least I would have if my parents were into paying $60 for shoes. I was deprived…

Me and MC

The company I work for, One To One Interactive, Heavenly Mountain Resort and Harrah’s/Harvey’s Lake Tahoe put on Tahoe Snowcial again this year. It’s an event we want to be the Sundance/SXSW of the [skiing/riding] Facebook generation. I think we’ve gotten off to a sweet start!

So in the initial planning phases of the event I was searching through wesites looking for other interesting things happening in Tahoe during the event and noticed that Hammer was playing Harrah’s South Shore Room Saturday night. Perfect. We looked into getting tickets, and Dave, on the sly, contacted his manager, found out that he’s something of a social media/dance thoughtleader and badda bing, badda boom, he was our keynote speaker! Not only that, he blew us all away.

Here’s a little interview Pete Blackshaw got of Hammer after the conference:

All in all Snowcial was a fun time with fun people. I didn’t get to spend a ton of time with people cause I was working the event, trying to coordinate things and such. I really enjoy spending time with Rob Sandie, Sonny Mayugba, The Loredos, the tubemogul crew, Eugene, Brian and Deepak. Also, met Scott Roeben, photographer, blogger and creator of Dribbleglass.com. Always good to hang out with my friends John Shafer and Jenni Curtis. John got some good photos of me. Perhaps I’ll consider using one of them as a new avatar…

Photo by John Shafer

Also was happy to get to know Jenn Gleckman better. I’ve run into her a couple of times and we’ve jousted on twitter, but that’s not the same as shredding perfect corduroy @ Tahoe!

The half day conference was perfect. A great format for engaging presentations that don’t get tiresome and boring. Presenters of note were Rob Sandie, who talked about using video contests to get customers talking about themselves rather than the brand; Monica Sullivan, talking about how Harrah’s Entertainment is using social media to market their national quiver of hotel and casino brands; Digi Dave Amirault, taking about the convergence of online media, communities, and print magazine publishing; Christine Loredo talking about mobile marketing and mobile apps; and Pete Blackshaw talking about trends and potential in online social marketing.

Best part of the short conference with a long weekend, was getting to hang with the presenters over beers, snow and steaks!

Wolfing Steak. Photo by Photo_John

Second best part of the conference was watching the snowcialites dance on stage…

The third best part was the SKIING! The conditions were firm, but Heavenly does a great job of grooming, so it was pretty good. There was a NASTY temperature inversion on with Bay Area style fog at lake level, but up above it all at the resort it made for a stunning view.

View from the Heavenly Tram down Gunbarrel

Thanks to everyone who came and made it a great event! I’ll be working to help make it kick ass again next year. If you’re interested in participating, please check in here for info, and sign up for a Snowcial invite here.

Peace out,

-M

The traditional 11th wedding anniversary gift is something made of steel. This year I was inspired to get Danielle a lovely steel wire professionally attached to a custom wooden frame over which was stretched a canvas surface which I had covered with a commissioned painting.

Transitions, by Brian Raszka

The painting is called “Transitions” and was made by local artist Brian Raszka.

Danielle and I haven’t always paid a lot of attention to special occasions. We let birthdays slip by, we don’t make a big deal of Christmas, and almost never celebrate Arbor Day. But our anniversary is different. From year one when we had just moved to Nevada and spent our anniversary together camping for the first time in the remote and beautiful Indian Creek Valley of Central Nevada, we’ve made it a priority to make the day special.

This year Danielle planned a trip out to the Bay Area to see Andrew Bird at the Greek Theater in Berkeley and I planned a scheme to commission a painting.

I’d met Brian a couple of times at A2N2 events, but hadn’t really gotten to know him much. I have been following his blog though, and his recent Art of Nature Series resonated with me, and I knew Danielle would like it as well. So I invited Brian and his wife Deana over for dinner and a discovery mission so Brian could meet Danielle and be inspired by her for the commission.

It went well, and he emailed me in a few days to say he had an idea and ask if 40” x 16” would be acceptable. I said yes, and a few days later he let me know it would be dry soon and ready. Then I snuck around to find cash without going through the checking account. She still hasn’t figured out how I paid for it, so I won’t say…

I presented the painting on out trip to Berkeley, and Danielle loved it! The colors are subtle yet striking and the pattern evokes the bricks of our house, the cell structure of plants and the underground rumblings of the earth. To me it looks like it is either emerging or disappearing into the ether of the raised white texture background. It’s like there’s more there below the surface and you want to brush it away, or cover it up…

A marriage is like a good work of art, there is always more to it than is obvious, but it isn’t impenetrably mysterious. When I was a kid I used to spend a lot of time looking at the photographs and paintings my parents had in our house. You go into them and explore the images that aren’t obvious or intended. They are things that you live and grow with.

Andrew Bird at the Greek Theater

Our anniversary trip was great. We did some shopping for old Junk @ Ohmega Salvage and Urban Ore, bought some shoes at the Camper store, saw the Richard Avedon show @ SFMOMA, enjoyed the awesome music of Andrew Bird, had some great food and rode roller coasters for the first time in a long time!

Thanks Danielle!

-M

Hiking with the family. We were planning on staying the night, but the weather got pretty bad. Plus the intended campsite was under snow… More video to follow. For now, here’s a long photo from the high point on the trail. A long photo is a simpler way of taking a photo like this. Plus it has all the sounds that accompany the taking of a photo like this…

-M

Juni @ the Truckee White Water Park from Mike Henderson on Vimeo.

MORE INFO ON THE TRUCKEE RIVER WHITEWATER PARK

• City of Reno
• RSCVA
• Downtown Makeover
• Sparks White Water @ Rock Park

At 8900 feet, Mt. Rose Pass, about 20 miles from Reno, is the highest year round pass in the sierras. But this in no rugged mountain pass, frought with cliffs and inhospitable terrain. As you crest the pass and leave the great basin behind you dip down a few hundred feet and enter the wide open Mt. Rose Meadow. On blue bird winter days there can be a wall of snow rising above the cars on either side of the highway. But if you take the time to park and scramble to the top you’ll find the best local winter adventure destination in the area.

Photo by AThiker1995

Sledding Mt. Rose Meadow

The question i get asked the most about winter recreation is where good sledding spots are. And you see people stopping right at the summit along the side of the highway sledding the steep hill right down to the parking lot. Trust me, the better spot is just over the hill at Mt. Rose Meadow. Just north of the road is a low-angle area that gradually slopes up to fairly steep for all levels of sledders. Or head across the meadow to Slide Mountain and the back side of Mt. Rose Ski Resort for some secluded backcountry sledding.
Snowshoeing

By far the easiest winter sport other than sledding is snowshowing. Gear is cheap and can be rented at local outdoor retailers. The snowshoes give you the traction and flotation to roam across the snowy landscape as you please.

“What we usually do is take the Ophir Creek Trail,” says Michael Drum, an avid hiker, snowshoer and backcountry adventurer, “from the southern turn off onto the Tahoe Rim Trail, follow it to a view point of Lake Tahoe then head up into the hills above the trail. In summer the Ophir Creek Trail goes all the way back down into Washoe Valley to Davis Creek Park. “The views are incredible of Lake Tahoe, Mount Rose, Tahoe Meadows,” Drum says, “and if you go high enough there is a fantastic view down into Washoe Valley.”
www.tahoerimtrail.org

Photo by C. Dominguez

Skiing the Mt. Rose Area

Ski Touring is probably one of the most popular activities at Mt. Rose Meadow aside from Sledding. Some people prefer to strap on fat, high performance skis with robust bindings for carving turns down steep hills. Others prefer a mellow walk in the snow on light weight cross country skis.

The terrain around the meadow is varied from dead flat, to shear cliff. If you feel the need to strap a ski of about any kind to your feet you’ll find a spot to use them. Crosscountry skiers can enjoy a leisurely tour around the lowlands of the meadow. From the west end, you can park near the summit at the Mt. Rose Trailhead and tour south across the highway back through the campground and work your way down to the meadow and loop back around. Or you can start from the west end where most of the parking is and enjoy a mostly flat tour.

Photo by Wolfy

If downhill back country adverture is more your style, Mt. Rose Meadow is a killer launching point for alpine tours with lots of vertical. From the west end of the meadow you can head north up Relay Ridge towards Mt. Rose proper and Houghton Peak. There you’ll find secluded bowls, chutes and tree runs. Or hear west towards Incline Lake Peak. In addition to the peak you can hit Rose Knob and Rose Knob Peak. Depending on your level of adventuresomenss you can get a huge lake run off the southwest face of Rose Knob and end up in the neighborhoods of Incline Village thumbing a ride back to your car.

Snomobiling in Tahoe

Snowmobiling is prohibited in much of the Mt. Rose Meadows area, due the the high volume of non-motorized users, but the back bowl area northwest of the meadow is open. There is a road that goes from the east end of the meadow up to the radio towers on Relay Peak and much of that generally marks the boundary. While snowmobiling is allowed nin the large zone north of incline lake and south of the Mt. Rose Wilderness, the boundaries are not well marked. Use that service road and the radio towers as a guideline. If you’re north of there, you’re in wilderness.
www.tahoesnowmobiling.org

Kiteboarding

You see some strange stuff out there at times. “What we saw were 3 or 4 guys strapped onto snowboards with large kites,” says Drum. “They would slide down one of the hills, catch some air and go air borne! It looked like the winter version of Kite Surfing.”

-M

This article appears in the February, 2009 issue of RLife Magazine.

Every time I’m in the RBP shop people come in and want to buy a frame and build it up themselves. But getting the knowledge and experience is something that takes a bit more attention and help than is easy to get during regular business hours at the shop. So it’s really cool that we’re finally getting the Build-A-Bike program up and running starting in two weeks. Spots are limited. And it WILL fill up…

-M

Hey all,

The long awaited Build-A-Bike maintenance course is finally here.

Build-a-Bike starts June 4, and is going to be taught by Ed Jenson, a veteran of the Washoe County School District and professional bike mechanic.

This program is going to be a comprehensive look at biycles and how to repair them. From flat tires to rebuilding wheels, Ed and the RBP volunteers
are going to teach you how to do a complete overhaul.

There are six three-hour courses, starting Wednesday, June 4th. And continuing for the five following Wednesdays.

Participants can either bring their own bicycle or purchase a bike from RBP.

Cost of the class is $50 and includes most everything except a bicycle.

Space is limited to 8 spots so sign up fast.

for questions or to sign up email us at
renobikeproject@gmail.com
or call the shop
775.323.4488

see you soon,

Noah
–
www.renobikeproject.com
in the alley between ralston and bell
S.E. corner
250 bell st,
Reno, NV 89503
775.323.4488

In May 2000, accurate GPS units became available to the public, and within days a new sport, geocaching, was born when someone put something inside a container (now called a “cache”), hid it in the Oregon back country, posted the GPS coordinates on the Internet and told the world to “go find it!”

“We’re not lost, we just don’t know where we are,” says Abe Yoni, as we bounce along what we think is Lousetown Road in his Jeep, following the arrow on his busted up ETrex GPS unit, which is pointing off across the rocky countryside to the east. He back pedals; he actually knows where we are, just not where we’re going – a tedious distinction for someone who loves to wander about in the Virginia Range hunting for treasure.

Read More…

Last weekend, under the auspices of Team Bacon Strip, I rode a bike tour with Trent, Amanda, Mark, Vanessa and Steve.

It was rad! Mark wrote up part one over @ the Strip, Check it out.

-M

Picking a route

Originally uploaded by i am indisposed

On the drive down we saw a dead cow @ the start of the 70 MPH in Washoe Valley, we saw a large dead dog on the side of Carson St just past the RR museum, we saw a dead deer near Bridgeport and a dead fox near Mono, 11 cyclists (alive and riding) on 395 between here and Tom’s Place, CA. I hope none of the bikers got the whoopass that was being handed out to the animal kingdom. There was a party making a career out of the North Arete when we descended Bear Creek Spire. I hope they had either bivy gear or good lights, or both because Cox Couloir is nothing to sniff @ in daylight.

They moved the car that had hit the cow before they moved the cow. Perhaps the car drove off. Perhaps not. I suppose the economic value of roadkillcow precludes the necessity for a special tow truck attachment. How DO you move 2000 pounds of inanimate beef on-the-hoof?

-M